TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Golden Gate National Park
Sani Pass
St Lucia
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Eswatini
Panorama Route
Kruger Park
PRICES AND DATES
Includes
Excludes
Dates
2024
January 27 – February 08 | Closed
2025
January 25 – February 06 | Open
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Irene (Johannesburg)
Welcome Day in South Africa – No Riding
(photo credit: Clodagh da Paixao)
Riders will fly into Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, from where you will be transferred to your hotel in Irene (outside Johannesburg) where you can relax after your flight and get comfortable with South Africa’s beautiful summertime weather. By noon you’ll meet the other members of your group, and after that, we will complete some paperwork to receive our bikes. During our first group dinner we will brief you about your trip, go over the special rules regarding riding motorcycles in Africa, and answer any questions you may have at this time. We do recommend that our riders arrive a day or two early, to ensure any delayed baggage is received with riding gear and to get acclimatized after a long flight.
DAY 2
Clarens
Riding Distance – 360km
After enjoying breakfast at the lodge, we will depart on our first day of riding at a time to ensure we miss the worst of morning traffic through the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Today’s route takes us from Centurion (Pretoria) to Clarens in the Freestate province. The northeastern Freestate reminds us of Kansas, just without the rolling hills. This area is also responsible for producing a large amount of South Africa’s grain. After leaving behind the town of Bethlehem we will start seeing the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, completing the day with a ride between the towns of Fouriesburg and Clarens on the Lesotho border, a truly beautiful section of road meandering its way through impressive sandstone hills, which this area is known for, before finding our overnight stop in the quaint town of Clarens.
DAY 3
Himeville (For Sani Pass)
Riding Distance – 400km
We will leave Clarens behind and continue through the beautiful sandstone formations of the Eastern Freestate, riding through the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Once we reach the Oliviershoek Pass, we will have big views over the Drakensberg Mountain range, before we enter the KZN province, for a leisurely ride through the beautiful KZN Midlands before finding our way to the rural village of Himeville, our home for the next two nights at the foot of Sani Pass.
DAY 4
Himeville (For Sani Pass)
Riding Distance – No riding, 4×4 Tour of Sani Pass & Lesotho
(photo credit: Stephanie Gorsun)
Today is your first optional day. Included with the tour is a 4×4 ride up the world famous Sani Pass, leaving behind South Africa and crossing up into the country of Lesotho. Sani Pass has been described as “one of the most dangerous mountain passes in the world” and is considered “the mother of all South African mountain passes”. Statistically and in every sense, it out distances, out climbs, and out performs all its competitors to have become the most iconic gravel pass in SA.
We will enjoy lunch in Africa’s highest pub at the top of Sani Pass, at an altitude of almost 10,000ft. If we are lucky, the weather will present us with scenes that will remain with you forever, gazing from the top of the Drakensberg back into South Africa, overlooking the Kwa-Zulu Natal scenery below. Guaranteed one of the highlights of your visit to Africa!
After lunch we will descend back into South Africa for a leisurely afternoon catching up on some rest or just hanging around the pool, before we enjoy another homestyle cooked South African dinner.
DAY 5
St Lucia
Riding Distance – 450km
We will need to depart early as a big day lie ahead (distance wise) with a hippo and croc tour awaiting at our destination. Leaving the farm and Sani Pass behind, we unfortunately have to spend some time riding a major highway as we head north through rolling sugar cane fields towards our lodge in St Lucia, situated in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. This is a huge protected area along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, with the vast Lake St. Lucia being home to large numbers of hippos, crocodiles, pelicans and flamingos that we will search for as we cruise the lake in the afternoon. If we are lucky we could also spot elephants, giraffes and leopards that inhabit the lake’s western shores.
DAY 6
Mlilwane, Eswatini
Riding Distance – 340km
Continuing with our journey through the north eastern corner of KZN / South Africa, we will cross into the third country of this tour, the Kingdom of Eswatini. Our ride will take us thourgh rural sugarcane fields, before reach Eswatini’s capital city of Manzini. Traffic can sometimes be be crazy, but make sure you take in all the activities of the hustle and bustle of the Swazi people going about their everyday life. Tonight’s accommodation will be somewhat different at our overnight stop in the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Swaziland’s three national parks. Be careful of the many wild critters that roam freely through the camp – they can be aggressive if you cross their path!
DAY 7
Hazyview, South Africa
Riding Distance – 390km
We leave the idyllic Mlilwane behind and bid Eswatini farewell. After crossing back into South Africa, make yourself ready for some very enjoyable riding. We have the option of going directly to our lodge, or we can find our way to the famous Long Tom Pass, perhaps one of the most well known passes in South Africa for motorcycle riders. It is about 25km long and has an altitude variance of more than 670 vertical meters through a complex network of curves as it ascends up the Drakensberg escarpment between Sabie in the east and Lydenburg in the west. Note: It is prone to heavy mist and can be dangerous in low visibility conditions.
After enjoying the Long Tom Pass, we descend back down to the village of Sabie, and then further down the escarpment via Bergvliet Pass, on the paved route between Sabie and Hazyview. Named after the Bergvliet plantation through which it traverses, this pass forms a lovely curvy and scenic experience, and is considered by some as being one of the best motorcycling roads in South Africa. Hazyview will be our stop for the next two nights.
DAY 8
Hazyview (For Panorama Route)
Riding Distance – Optional 200km
Today’s riding will eventually loop us back to our hotel of last night, after experiencing one of South Africa’s most scenic rides, the Panorama Route. The road will lead us among the north-eastern section of the great escarpment of the Drakensberg, where the plateau comes to an abrupt and dramatic halt, falling steeply away into the Lowveld below and accompanied by incredible views out over the grasslands of Africa. We will not have enough time to visit all the highlights on this route, so an early departure is advisable. We will kick off the day by heading to the scenic outlook known as God’s Window, before heading to Bourke’s Luck Potholes for lunch. Thereafter we will stop at the Blyde River Lookout with its amazing vistas over the famous ‘Three Rondavels’, offering a view from a height of more than 1000 meters above sea level over the canyon with the Blyde River cutting its way through the valleys below and the Blydepoort Dam in the distance. If time permits, we can choose to visit a selection of waterfalls – the Sabie Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Mac Mac Falls awaits, before we ascend yet again down the escarpment via Kowyns Pass towards our hotel. What a day!
DAY 9
Phalaborwa (For Kruger National Park)
Riding Distance – 170km
Today is our shortest day on the bike in terms of distance, as we aim to maximize our time in the Kruger Park, where we will be spending the next two nights. Despite the short distance, we have another early departure, to be in time for our tour at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center, where we will experience an educational tour of the great work that this organization is doing.
Here you will also encounter the extremely rare King Cheetah of which there are less than 60 animals on the planet. After our visit to the HESC, we have a short ride to our hotel for the next two nights, situated right at the Phalaborwa Gate of The Kruger Park. Keep a lookout for animals while riding today – we have encountered the Big 5 on this section, spotted while riding!
DAY 10
Phalaborwa (For Kruger National Park)
Riding Distance – No riding, Safari Day
(Photo Credit: Fa Trinca)
Today will be spend in the magnificent Kruger National Park and will consist of several game drives. There will also be opportunity to just relax along the pool or on the lodge’s deck overlooking the bush.
DAY 11
Irene (Outside Johannesburg)
Riding Distance – 480km
Sadly, today will be spent riding back into reality. We have our longest day ahead (distance wise, and will spend most of the first part riding through beautiful Mpumalanga scenery, before we have no option but to hit the highways of Gauteng and back to our first lodge, where we will enjoy our final group dinner of the tour.
DAY 12
Fly Out
(Photo Credit: Charl Durand)
After breakfast the final paperwork is completed, and our trip is officially over. If you are curious to stay in the surrounding Johannesburg / Pretoria areas to do more riding, sightseeing etc. … let us know and we can get you on the right track!
Thank you for allowing us to get Africa into your blood!
